Rose and the Lost Princess

Rose and the Lost Princess by Holly Webb

I didn't realize this was a sequel until I looked it up on Amazon.

Whoops.

Regardless, I gave up on it for style of writing reasons, so here's an amazon summary, "Holly Webb's hit middle-grade fantasy series are the perfect books for 11 and 12 year-old girls beginning to realize their own power and potential-and who might just still believe in magic...

In this second volume, the spunky young magician Rose returns to battle the forces of darkness and save the country's beloved Princess. Set in 19th century England, this magical adventure offers a rich sense of history and a strong, independent heroine young readers can really root for. Rose is perfect for "fans of princesses, magic, fantasy, and mystery" (School Library Journal). 

Not all magic is used for good... Rose's whole life has changed in a matter of weeks. Once a lonely orphan, now she's an apprentice to the King's chief magician! But as Rose's magical abilities blossom, she's still uneasy about her new powers-and learns the hard way that power often comes at a price.  

When the Princess vanishes, rumors of dark magic fly through the city, casting doubt and suspicion on everyone with magical powers. Even Rose's friends don't seem to trust her anymore.
Now Rose must find the missing girl. Can she shatter the power of an evil magician before all is lost?" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I made it to page 54 of this book before I called it quits.

Rose is a terrible character to be a narrator.

She's constantly thinking badly about herself and I significantly could not deal with another female narrator being so acutely flawed.

The characters' dialogue also seemed very stilted and robotic as if they weren't sure how to form a sentence.

Many of the descriptions were much more concerned about the details of what a character looked like rather than world building elements.

I saw all the signs, took it as a lost cause, and gave up.

Maybe if I had read the first book, all of the world building would have been in there.....but it seems unlikely.

Eh.

Happy reading!